What’s Happening this Fall in Florida’s Sweetest Spot, Central Florida’s Polk County

Auburndale, FL (September 2021) – If not for the availability of pumpkin spice in area coffee shops, you might not realize it’s technically Fall in Central Florida’s Polk County… but the change on the calendar signals the reopening of some of the area’s seasonal citrus and barbeque favorites, along with the return of annual festivals and events surrounding Halloween and the upcoming holiday season. And 2022 is shaping up to be especially sweet, with the exciting grand openings and special events featured below.

REOPENINGS (Seasonal citrus and barbeque favorites reopen for Fall)
- Peebles B-B-Q: Sept. 9, 2021. A Polk County B-B-Q staple, celebrating 73 years in 2021.
- Ridge Island Groves: Sept 16, 2021. Featuring fresh juices, citrus ice cream, grove tours and more.
- Florida’s Natural Grove Store and visitor center: Oct. 1, 2021. History, shopping and juice samples from one of the world’s most well-known citrus brands, Florida’s Natural.
- Lang’s Taste of Florida Café: Oct. 4, 2021.  Don’t miss their famous Grapefruit Pie dessert.

ATTRACTIONS, EVENTS
Central Florida’s Polk County offers many unique attractions and events for visitors to enjoy. Highlights are listed below but check out the tourism and sports event calendars for the most up-to-date information on all there is to see and do.

- LEGOLAND® Florida Resort: celebrate Halloween at “Brick or Treat” every weekend in October.
- Saturday Night Rodeos at Westgate River Ranch Resort are a long-standing tradition for many families visiting Central Florida. This award-winning rodeo features trick riding, bull riding, calf roping, barrel racing and rodeo clown antics. Free Water Ski Shows on the 3rd Saturday of every month, performed on Lake Silver in Winter Haven by the worldrenowned Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team.
- Orange Cup Regatta: Oct. 14-16, 2021. Exciting powerboat racing competition on Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland. Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show: Dec. 4-5, 2021. This Lakeland event includes aircraft displays, a large airplane and car show, plus food vendors, live music and more.
- IRONMAN 70.3 Florida: Dec. 12, 2021. Triathletes from around the globe converge on Central Florida to compete for the coveted IRONMAN title.

CELEBRATIONS
Happy Birthday:  LEGOLAND Florida Resort celebrates their 10th Birthday on Oct. 15, 2021.
Happy Anniversary:  Grove Roots Brewing Co. celebrated their 5th Anniversary on Sept. 17, 2021.

RESTAURANTS, ACCOMODATIONS

New Restaurants
- Adler’s (burgers). Buzzfeed and Yelp have recognized the burgers at Adler’s among the best in Florida and the U.S. The Winter Haven location, which opened in August, joins the original eatery in Davenport.
- Fin & Feather at Streamsong Resort and Spa. Deriving its name from the fishing and hunting permit granted in the local area more than 30 years ago, Fin & Feather celebrates the history and bounty of the South, in traditional recipes crafted with the finest ingredients that the region has to offer.

HOTEL REBRANDING, RENOVATION
Lakeland’s historic high-rise, the Terrace Hotel, has been renovated and reflagged as the Terrace Hotel Lakeland, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. See more on Hilton’s news site.

DISCOUNTS, DEALS
Polk Savings Pass exclusive discounts and special offers for local restaurants, shops, accommodations and more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- Westgate River Ranch Resort has added Conestoga Wagons to their wide variety of luxury glamping options that include glamorous tents and luxe teepees.
- The new USA Water Ski and Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame museum opened at Central Florida’s Visitor Information Center in Davenport.

LOOKING AHEAD
- The World’s First Peppa Pig Theme Park is coming to Polk County in 2022. The new stand-alone park is located just steps away from the front gate of LEGOLAND Florida Resort. The park combines six interactive rides and themed playgrounds with character shows, an indoor cinema and a colorful splash pad that celebrates “muddy puddles” jumping fun. Every corner of the charming new park is crafted with preschoolers in mind. Family vacation packages are now available for Spring 2022.
- Parrotheads Rejoice, it’s going to be “Five O' Clock Somewhere”… in Polk County. Cabana Club RV Resort and Cottages in Auburndale, one of Polk County’s newest luxury RV resorts, will rebrand as a Camp Margaritaville property early next year. For more details, visit Margaritavilleresorts.com.
- The Sport of Water Skiing will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2022. Polk County, known as the Water Ski Capital of the World, will hold events and activities throughout the year to commemorate the milestone, culminating with the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) World Water Ski Show Tournament being held in Winter Haven in October 2022. To find out more, visit www.visitcentralflorida.org/waterski100.

For more information on all that is happening in Florida’s Sweetest Spot, go to VisitCentralFlorida.org and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube. Please contact Kelly Rote at kelly@visitcentralflorida.org if you need more information, photos or further assistance. A broad selection of photography can be downloaded directly from our image library on imagerelay.com.